BBFC defends Dead Rising

The British Board of Film Classification has told GamesIndustry.biz that it will stand by the decision to allow Capcom's Xbox 360 horror title Dead Rising to go on sale uncensored in the UK.

The game has already been rejected by ratings boards in Germany, and according to reports, a censored version will be released in Japan. But the BBFC has awarded Dead Rising an 18 rating, and no cuts will be made to the game for its UK release.

"Dead Rising is considered a fairly straightforward 18. We take the view that at 18, unless there is something harmful in the game, we have no reason to intervene as far as adults are considered," said a BBFC spokesperson.

"There is no clear evidence that playing games leads to copycat behaviour. We would only intervene if a game was going further than any other game in terms of interactivity and the 'thrills' it offers a gamer."

According to the spokesperson, the BBFC board did not find rating the game to be particularly problematic due to the nature of its content. "There's a lot of blood in the game, and the player is required to take gory photos, but there are no close-ups and no depictions of sexually motivated violence, which is something we might consider harmful," the spokesperson said.

"The game is gory, but it's not detailed and the violence is not sadistic, and it's focused against zombies. There's a fantasy element attached, and there's a sense of humour, albeit a macabre one."

Dead Rising went on the sale in the States earlier this week and is due to launch in Europe on September 8th.